


Pass, you do. Prepare to fight.

by EmWritesFiction



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Boxing, Gen, General Shenanigans, excessive mocking of the time neil punched riko, friendship fic, i still dont know how to tag save my SOUL, like a lot i may have a bit of an obsession, lots of infodumping about boxing, matt talks like a canadian because i said so, matt teaches neil how to box and its fun, neil learns how to BOX and its FUN, probably ooc ngl, theres andreil but its like .5 seconds at the very beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmWritesFiction/pseuds/EmWritesFiction
Summary: Matt teaches Neil how to box. Shenanigans ensue
Relationships: Matt Boyd & Neil Josten
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	Pass, you do. Prepare to fight.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lukesunborn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukesunborn/gifts).



> this is a secret santa gift for my amazing friend Zohar (hi Zohar we don't talk much but ily) so uh yeah that's all I got happy holidays!!!!
> 
> (I totally went over the suggested wc but we don't talk about that)

There’s a knock on the door to Neil’s dorm at exactly 8:13 P.M. Andrew answers the door, resting his tub of overly–sweet ice cream down on an abandoned textbook. He doesn’t even give Matt a second glance upon opening the door, voice flat as he calls for Neil.

“Neil, your friend is here.”

“Huh?” Neil calls back absently, walking out from his bedroom. “Oh. Hi Matt! How are you?” 

“Doing good, Neilio! A wide grin takes over Matt’s face when he sees Neil, and he pushes off the doorframe he just started leaning against. “Was heading down to train and thought you might want to join. What’d you think?”

Neil’s eyes light up at the thought of training. He looks at Andrew and smiles, Andrew meeting him with an imperceptible nod. “Give me a minute to get my stuff together, and I’ll meet you at the stadium.”

“Actually, it’s not Exy training, sorry. I don’t know if anyone’s told you yet, but I know a good bit about boxing. There’s a couple of bags down in the basement and I figured you’d enjoy learning how to box!” There’s a light in Matt’s eyes as he leans in conspiratorially, hand covering the side of his mouth facing Andrew.

“We don’t want another Riko incident.” Neil huffs, smiling at andrew. “I’ll be back later. Don’t have too much ice cream or Kevin’ll kill you.”

In response, Andrew impassively raises an eyebrow, purposely walking back to the couch and picking his ice cream back up. “Try not to get your ass kicked.”

Neil flips him off in response before heading off to his room to change into workout clothes, leaving Matt standing awkwardly in the doorframe as he waits, tapping his foot softly. It’s not long before Neil reappears though, water bottle in hand.

“Ready to go?” Matt asks, stepping out into the hallway. When Neil follows him, Matt beams. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on!” 

The walk down to the basement is silent, Neil’s discomfort with small talk obvious. It’s only when they’ve reached the bottom of the stairs that Matt starts talking, guiding Neil towards one of the farthest away doors. “How skilled are you at self-defence?” 

“What kind of self defence?” Neil asks in response, fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt. “Knives, I can do. Hitting people, not so much.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Matt cracks, pulling open the door. “Kinda figured that out after you punched Riko at the banquet. Your arm went so far back I'm amazed you didn't sprain something!”

Neil laughs, a half smile on his face. “My arm did hurt for a while afterwards.”

“And that’s why we’re here!” With one hand on Neil’s back and the other gesturing at the room ahead, Matt gently pushes Neil into the room. There’s a boxing bag hanging in the middle of the room. To the sides, there’s some stacked chairs and tables, but overall, nothing of much interest. Matt drops the duffle bag hanging his shoulder and onto the floor, shutting the door after Neil’s in the room.

Matt unzips the bag as he starts talking. “You know how to stretch?” 

“For Exy or for boxing?” Neil quips, taking off the sweatpants he was wearing to reveal his exy shorts. “Because unless they share the same stretches, the answer is no.”

“They do share some stretches. You can follow your standard stretch warm up while I get everything ready.” Neil nods, launching into a well-practiced routine as Matt pulls out boxing wraps and gloves.

They both finish at around the same time, Matt picking up four rolls of boxing wraps

“If you don’t know anything about boxing, that means how to wrap as well, right?” Neil nods once, and Matt chucks two of the tightly wrapped black rolls at him, dropping one of the other two onto the ground. “Do you want me to show you how, or just do them for you?” 

“Show me how.”

“Sure thing!” Matt unvelcros the end of the roll he’s holding, quickly unwinding it as Neil does the same to his.“There’s a technique to doing it, so make sure you watch carefully.” Matt talks as he starts to slowly wrap up his left hand, the movements awkward, at his right hand is his non–dominant hand. 

Neil watches carefully as Matt explains how to make sure the wrapping around the wrist is tight enough to prevent it from moving too much, and how to wrap in between your fingers to make sure they don’t chafe. Neil’s a quick study, somehow managing to both listen and wrap at the same time, eyes widening slightly at how smoothly Matt manages to do it.

When Matt finishes he holds out his hand for Neil to examine. Neil finishes shortly after, feeling proud of his handiwork.

Matt looks proud too, taking Neil’s hand and poking at the wraps. “Not bad! It’s a lost looser than it should be, and your wrist and knuckles don’t have the right padding, but aside from that it looks good! I’ll rewrap this hand, and then you can try again on your other one. Deal?” 

“Deal.” Matt moves fast, hands nimble with familiarity, and is done in no time. Neil flexes his hand the second it’s done. ”How’s it feel?”

“Tight,” Neil says, still trying to flex his wrist in ways it isn't able to move. “Tighter than before.” 

“As it should! Putting out a wrist from a faulty hit sucks. Do you want to try wrapping your other hand now that you know what it’s supposed to feel like?”

Neil doesn’t even bother to respond, already unraveling the other wrap and starting to mimic the motions Matt made. He’s a quick study, making a noise of approval at the wrap when he’s done. “I think I did better this time.” 

“Better,” Matt scoffs jokingly, shaking his head. “That’s damn near perfect. Give me a minute to wrap my other hand, and I’ll get you started on some of the basics.” 

It only takes a few seconds for Matt to make sure his wraps are on and secure, walking over to the bag afterwards. “Come, young Neil. There are rituals for you to learn.” 

Confused, Neil follows Matt to the bag, standing awkwardly as Matt bows deeply in front of it. 

“What are you waiting for?” He asks when Neil doesn't join him. “You must pay your respects to the bag, lest she disrespect you.”

Neil raises an eyebrow, but bows shallowly, standing back up when Matt does.“What now?”

“Now we kiss her, to ensure she grants us mercy.” Matt leans in jokingly, chuckling when Neil does too.

“You don’t actually have to kiss the boxing bag,” He says in between laughs, holding onto his stomach. “But you can if you want to.”

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Whatever you want to do. Now! Terminology. You don’t mind if I guide you through the motions, right? Just to make sure your form is okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Neil says neutrally, despite knowing the reaction those two words usually receive.

“Oh don’t you dare pull one of those, or Wymack and Andrew’ll have you suspended from the next practice without even blinking.”

Neil snickers, crossing his arms. “They can try, but I don’t think they’ll succeed.” 

“Eh, sounds about right,” Matt says, taking a step towards Neil. ”There are four main things I’m going to teach you tonight: how to jab, cross, uppercut, and throw hooks. Sounds good to you?” A nod from Neil, and Matt is back into teacher mode, grabbing Neil’s right hand. “You’re right handed, so this is going to be your leading hand. A jab is where your lead hand strikes, with the foot on the same side leading as well. Like this.” He gently maneuvers Neil’s body through the step, smiling when Neil sems to get it. “Do a few of those, and then we can move on to the cross.”

Neil doesn’t bother to respond, already working on finding his rhythm, steps falling into sync.

“Good!” Matt eventually says, confident Neil had a hold on how to jab. “Now the cross! It’s the same mechanics, except you're hitting with your left hand now.”

“Like this?” Neil throws a solid left hook, the resounding smack filling the room. 

“Yeah! Exactly like that! I think we can move onto the uppercut already, eh? Essentially, an uppercut is where you hit up instead of straight forward. Similar to a jab and a cross.”

Again, Matt walks Neil through the steps, making sure he knows how both a proper right and left hook feel before stepping back to watch. A few reps later, he stops Neil yet again, and starts explaining a hook.

“So you know how an uppercut is like an upwards jab? A hook is a sideways one, basically. Feels like this.”

Once again, Matt leads Neil through the motions of both a left and right hook, making sure he’s got the motions down before watching as Neil practices all of the separate punches. When it looks like Neil has a good enough handle on them all, Matt stops him. “This is where it gets a bit more confusing. Every type of punch has a specific number. A jab is one, cross is two, left hook is three, right this four, left uppercut is five, and right is six.” He gives Neil a second to think on it before attempting to quiz him. “What’s six?”

“Uppercut.” 

“Left or right?” 

“Uhhhhh.” Neil stops to think for a second. “Right.”

“Correct! One?” 

“Jab.””

“Four?” 

“Left hook.”

“Nope!” Matt says, poking at Neil’s right arm. “Four is the right hook. Almost, but not quite.” Matt quizzes Neil a few more times before nodding mock-sagely. “Pass, you do. Prepare to fight.”

“Actually fight?” Neil questions, immediately going to the defensive. “I’m not good enough to fight.”

“No,” Matt cuts himself off with a shake of his head. “Sorry for startling you. You’re just going to fight the bag. Do a couple sets of each type of hit, and I’ll let you know if you’re doing something wrong.“

Neil nods, turning to hit the bag. He does several reps of the different types of punches, and he’s working on jabs when Matt stops him.

“You’re doing good,” He says, stepping closer to Neil. “But your arm is going too far back for every hit.” Instead of explaining any further, he steps up to the bag, pulling his arm back past his head before hitting the bag, sending it swinging as a dull ache spreads throughout his upper arm. “Now that,” He says, shaking his arm out. “Is exactly how  _ not _ to hit something. Not only can you damage your arm, but it’s a dead giveaway that you’re about to throw a punch. What you actually want to do is this.” Matt slips back into his stance, letting three tense seconds pass before his fist snaps out from his chest into a wicked left hook, hitting the bag with a resounding thud. Neil looks on in awe as Matt grins wildly, bowing once.

“ _ That’s _ what I want you to do. It not only takes your opponent by surprise, but gives you more power, and a better chance of keeping your shoulder in good shape. You try now! Five sets of ten jab-cross combos.” For as cheerful as Matt can be, when he’s in teaching mode, he’s dead serious, watching Neil with laser focus and correcting him every time his form is less than ideal. 

After a few more sets, Matt calls for a water break, pulling two oval pads out of the duffle bag as Neil finds his water bottle and drinks. Instead of working on training himself, Matt sits down on the floor, and gestures for Neil to join him.

“So, what do you think so far?” Matt asks, grabbing Neil’s hands and poking at the wraps to make sure they’re still in place.

“It’s fun,” Neil says in between sips of water, face tinted red with exertion. “It’s definitely different from what I'm used to, but it’s fun.”

A smile crosses Matt’s face as he fidgets with Neil’s hands, bending and unbending his fingers “Your mom didn't teach you too well, eh?”

Neil stiffens at the mention of his mother, forcing himself to relax shortly after, “No, not really. “ His voice is colder now, more distant. “Only what would get me out of a fight.”

Matt hums in response, understanding not to push any further, They sit in silence for a bit more, until Matt’s had enough of sitting still and not doing anything, pushing onto his feet, “Break time’s over! Up and at ‘em, Neilio, ‘cause the night is still young!”

Neil huffs in amusement, pushing to his feet. “What now?”

Matt smiles, picking up the oval pads from earlier with a flourish. “I’m going to teach you how to use these! They're called hand targets. I’ll hold them and call out a combo, and you'll have to hit whatever pad is outstretched. We can start you off slow at first, and get faster as you start to get the hang of it, eh?”

Neil nods in response, getting back into his earlier stance.”Do your worst.” 

Matt inclines his head in response, dropping into his own stance with the pads held in front of him. “One two one.” He calls, holding out the left pad. Neil lays a solid jab-cross-jab in response, smiling lopsidedly afterwards. Matt doesn't let him rest for a second though, calling out the next combo. “Two, three, four.” 

The responding jab, left hook, and right hook are stronger now, and there’s a fire in both of their eyes. A few more reps, and then Matt announces he's adding a twist, refusing to mention exactly what the twist is. 

“One, three, two, four.” He calls, keeping the left pad up for the first two hits before switching to the right one for the next two, catching Neil off guard, which ends with Neil hitting Matt in the gut with a particularly powerful cross. A strangled noise escapes Matt, and he keels over slightly. 

“Caught me off guard, eh?” He wheezes through half laughs half gasps for air. “Good on you!”

A red flush covers Neils face, and looks sheepish. “Sorry, I should have—”

Matt cuts Neil off with a laugh and a shaky wave, “Don’t worry about it. See, next time you’re going to go picking fights with someone like Riko, you've gotta nail me with‘ punches like that. The face is a noble place to try and hit, but in the end, gut and throat punches are what'll take someone down. Get rid of their wind, and fighting gets a whole lot easier. Just gotta make sure they dont get rid of yours first.”

”Hitting that asshole hurt like a motherfucker,” Neil says sagely, nodding as he sits down on the floor.”

“Sounds about right. Your form was  _ bad _ .” 

Neil laughs, shaking out phantom pain from his arm. “Looking back, absolutely.”

“Your arm went so far back,” Matt cracks, pulling his arm back before letting it fly forwards in a mockery of the punch. “It’s a wonder you didn’t hurt yourself.”

Neil makes a noise of acknowledgement before rushing to his feet, extending a hand to Matt. “Come on. We’ve still got time, and I want to learn more tonight.”

“Then learn you shall!” Matt takes Neils hand, pushing to his feet. The both of them resumed their stance. They spar for hours, Matt stopping to correct Neil every once in a while, but nowhere near as often as before. By the time midnight hits, they both collapsed on the floor, soaked with sweat.

“I think my arms are broken” Neil groans, flopping them across Matt's. “They haven't hurt this bad since I blew out my arms against Andrew that first week.”

“Wait wait wait, you did  _ what? _ ” Matt asks in disbelief. “Oh my god, you didn't.”

“I did.”

“Oh my god,” Matt cackles, looking at Neil. “You really are a foolhardy idiot.”

“Never said I wasn't.” The room lapses into silence for a while, Neil eventually pushing into a seated position. “Hey Matt,” He says, waving his limp arms around. “Thank you. I had fun.”

“It was no problem at all! I had fun too.” An exhausted pause as Matt struggles to string words together. “Same time next week?” 

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this all in an adrenaline rush at 3am the night before it was due so uh,,,,,, if you see any mistakes no you do not


End file.
